Most recent articles

Mastectomies save lives. I won’t say a word against the procedure, nor against how increasingly common they are as a preventative measure. Breast cancer is a great danger, particularly for women, and mastectomies have saved countless lives at this point.

They are necessary, but they also leave a huge psychological problem for women who receive them. Everyone defines themselves partly by their body. It’s the reason we care so much about reaching our ideal weight, wearing clothes that make us look good, and knowing how others see us. It isn’t just vanity; it’s human.

So the results of a mastectomy can be at once a great relief and a return to health, while also leading to profound difficulties in recognizing and accepting the changes that have occurred.

There are many ways to deal with this, but increasingly, there’s a movement towards using breast reconstruction as a means of reestablishing the look women have always been accustomed to thinking of as natural.

There is an amazing number of reconstruction options for those who have had mastectomies. Most people don’t know much more about breast surgery than what they read about in magazines while waiting to see a doctor, but there are plenty of great ways that women can return to the look that makes them feel comfortable and happy in their bodies.

In particular, I want to talk here about the LD flap reconstruction. According to Bergman Folkers Plastic Surgery in Des Moines, this involves using skin from the upper back and a breast implant to create natural-looking breasts after a mastectomy.

Like all breast reconstruction surgeries, this is ideal for some women and may be a bad fit for others. Bergman Folkers identifies the positives and negatives of LD flap reconstruction this way:

Positives:

Less recovery time required

Scars covered by bra straps

More options for breast size, since the upper back skin can cover it

A short surgery compared to some other options

An ideal option for skinnier women who may not have the same skin and fat resources of other women (thus reducing the number of reconstruction options available)

Negatives:

You’ll have to have implants, since there isn’t enough fatty tissue in that area. Thus, breasts won’t be quite as “natural” according to some standards

There may be a noticeable weakening of the back muscles for those who engage in very strenuous exercise that involves the back (like rock climbing)

There can be some modest complications from the process, including an awkward bulky area under the armpit (this usually goes away, though).

Obviously, this isn’t the best option for all women. Some women will choose to live with the natural results of their mastectomy. Some of these women are actively proud of their new look. Others will feel a different surgery is the best option for them.

Still, for many women out there, the LD flap reconstruction surgery may be just what they need to return to the look and confidence they used to have before these recent difficulties.

I never pretend to understand, or really care for that matter, about numbers very much. Numbers bore me.

I guess I need to start caring though because I need to start learning how my insurance works. Ever since my partner left me, I have been struggling to learn about our, now my, finances. They’re just so boring, and there are so many numbers.

I was going to get a financial helper person, but, ever since Hurricane Harvey devastated practically everything worthwhile in Houston, that plan will have to be delayed for a bit longer.

I won’t name the name of my insurance company, but I will probably not be using them anymore because they are neither Allstate or Farmers Insurance. These two insurance companies, which I had previously only known about because of their hilarious commercials, have sent representatives from their companies to Houston, in order to educate as well as assist the general public about their insurance options and filling out complicated insurance documents. The best part is that these representatives will help you out, even if your insurance company is neither Allstate nor Farmers.

While Allstate has set up what they are calling Educational Programs, other companies, like Farmers, are setting up tents to help assist with the sheer volume of both property and automobile claims, which are all estimated to cost in the billions of dollars.

I’m told that, during past post-disaster insurance handlings, like this one, insurance companies did not have any place to house their representatives. So, they required their insurance agents, who already lived there and still had their houses intact, to temporarily shelter these out of town insurance agents. Today, however, the insurance companies have set up these nice little tents to serve as a designated meeting place, as well as a place for their representatives to sleep in the evenings.

With the vast amount of insurance agents here answering insurance-related questions and assisting anyone and everyone with the not always easy to navigate government websites, these guests, living where we have dubbed ‘Farmer’s Village,’ will probably be here for the rest of the year, at least the very least. Also, as the damage gets further and further assessed, more and more insurance claims are needing to be filed, which makes the presence of these insurance agents all that more valuable because they get things done much faster here than we ever could on our computers and with speaking to customer service on the phone.

What will especially make me highly consider switching to a better insurance is insurance agents who are assisting victims with filing claims with FEMA and other government agencies. I have heard that for FEMA to help anyone who is uninsured for floods, they must receive proof that this particular individual was not insured for flood damages before the storm did its thing. While I’m waiting to switch, however, I’ll probably be looking for the assistance of a Houston attorney.

The city of Louisville, Kentucky is steadily gaining its foothold in the field of culinary excellence. The growing popularity of many Louisville restaurants is slowly putting the great city on the culinary map, not only around the whole of the United States, but also around the world. The flavors that help define the city of Louisville are not only from the city’s diverse and inventive restaurant scene but also from the local products made to set the city apart from others.

Just as with any southern city, Louisville is strong on traditional Southern cuisine – with fried steak, chicken and catfish as a regular dinner dishes, paired with vegetables such as pinto beans and greens served with cornbread. There are a lot of similarities between Southern cuisine and Kentucky cuisine, but there are also distinctly unique dishes, and Louisville offers the Hot Brown and the Derby pie as among the city’s specialty.

Going through Louisville’s restaurants will provide you a great range of unique Louisville staples. One of the most recognizable flavors of Louisville is the Benedictine Spread. This cucumber/cream cheese spread has been a staple since the 1890s. For those who prefer great coffee and confectionaries, then visiting Please & Thank You coffee shop would be the best thing to do in NuLu. For meat lovers, Game is a restaurant that can offer a great variety of meats, from kangaroo to antelope to ostrich and venison. For those looking for Asian fusion, Milkwood by Chef Edward Lee would satisfy your cravings. And to cap the day off, head to The Silver Dollar, one of the top 10 whiskey bars in the United States according to GQ Magazine.

Louisville has distinguished itself by having their own homegrown flavor and a growing population of acclaimed chefs, it is not a wonder why foodies love to visit Louisville. Sooner or later, it may become the food hub of the nation.

Zofran, also known by its generic name Ondansetron, is a drug prescribed to treat nausea and vomiting for patients experiencing side effects caused by certain treatments and medications. In particular, the drug helps alleviate nausea and vomiting caused by surgical procedures and cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the 80s, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the early 90s.

The drug primarily works by inhibiting the production of serotonin, which triggers a particular area in the brain that is responsible for causing nausea and vomiting symptoms. This is why Zofran is called a serotonin blocker or serotonin antagonist. While it was originally intended to help surgical and cancer patients, it is considered to be helpful in alleviating nausea and vomiting caused by stomach issues such as gastroenteritis and even pregnancy.

The use of Zofran for pregnancy related sickness is what the medical community calls “off-label use”. It means that the drug is being prescribed to patients outside what it was originally intended and approved for by the FDA. Zofran’s off-label use became particularly rampant among pregnant women when GlaxoSmithKline had, according to William Kherkher, started promoting it safe for this very use.

Even though Zofran proves to be a highly effective drug, pregnant women should remain cautious about taking the drug. Unfortunately, there have been reported cases linking the use of Zofran to birth defects in infants. In recent years, several lawsuits have been filed by women who claim that their morning sickness regimen is actually the cause of their child’s life-threatening illnesses.

Just in 2013, the FDA issued a statement raising potential safety issues regarding the drug. However, scientific research about the drug’s pregnancy risks is often conflicting. In 2012, a study conducted by Motherisk found that the Zofran should no longer be prescribed to pregnant women. It recommended taking extreme caution, considering there is very little evidence to prove that it’s completely safe for consumption during pregnancy.

The use of Zofran during pregnancy may result in the following issues for the unborn child:

If you suspect that Zofran might have caused heath issues your child is currently experiencing, do not hesitate to seek legal counsel and seek out further information. Zofran birth defect lawyers could help you learn which options are available for you.

A premarital agreement is a contract which people who are about to marry one another enter into: it is an agreement that clearly indicates how property and assets ought to be distributed in case of divorce, legal separation, or death. Though some may consider this to be an unromantic gesture, premarital agreements can help to provide spouses with a measure of security in their relationship, knowing that their futures are protected.

Pre-marital, prenuptial, and ante-nuptial agreements have long been a practice in the US. It was strongly enforced in 1848 through the Married Women’s Property Act. It was this act that gave women who entered into marriage their identity and rights back, since before this, a married woman’s legal existence was recognized only as extensions of her husband’s. This was due to the legal policy called coverture, a law that relinquished a woman’s legal rights upon marriage to her husband. Because of coverture, a married woman lost any right to own, sell, or transfer property, enter into contracts, earn a salary, or get an education without the consent of her husband and, even if her husband allowed her to work, the policy obliged her to surrender her earnings to him. Thus, in the event of divorce, she stood the chance of losing all her property to her husband.

History shows all the more how important a prenuptial agreement is. For both parties to appreciate its real value, though, it has to be talked about long before engagement, as openly and candidly as possible and with the help of qualified divorce attorneys who will make sure that both of your rights and interests are well protected. The process of divorce may become complicated without the guidance of someone who understands family or divorce law. The following are just some of the benefits this type of agreement can confer:

preservation of family ties and inheritance;

guaranteed protection of the children’s financial security earned from an earlier marriage;

protection over personal and business assets made prior to marriage

eliminates the need for lengthy and expensive asset and finance court settlements in case of divorce.

Product liability can apply to any consumer product, including medications. When a drug is found to have harmful effects, most people consider it a defective drug. But in many cases, the drug is not defective at all.

There are three general categories for product liability: defective products, dangerous products, and improper marketing of products. The case of 4th generation birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella is a good example of the second category, dangerous products, which means that while the drug is properly manufactured (not defective), it is still inherently dangerous. The liability lies in the failure to inform or warn potential users about the inherent risks attached to the product.

This is the main point that plaintiffs are making in their pursuit of personal injury claims against Bayer, the manufacturer of Yaz, Yasmin, and indirectly, Ocella. They are claiming that Bayer knew or should have known that the products were dangerous, and concealed it from the public by neglecting to include this information in labels and package inserts, as well as announcing it to the medical community.

To date, there have been in excess of 8,000 claims filed against Bayer. In 2012, the company agreed to address about 3,200 of these in a settlement program with a fund pool of $1 billion. The reality is that as of July 8, 2013, $1.4 Billion had been paid out to 6,760 claimants, which averages to about $200,000 per claimant, and still there are 5,400 which remain to be settled. Bayer is expecting more cases to be filed in the future, including those for Safyral and Beyaz, more recent additions to the drospirenone-containing birth control pill family produced by Bayer. Bayer is still not admitting any liability for the products.

If you or a family member developed blood clots from using Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella which resulted in deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, you may still be able to make a claim against Bayer. Get in touch with a products liability lawyer in your area with experience in dealing with pharmaceutical companies to get the ball rolling.

When a couple chooses to pursue a divorce, it often entails lengthy court battles, costly attorney’s fees, and emotional and psychological duress. For this reason, some couples who might otherwise choose to end their marriage may put off divorce.

There is an alternative means to ending marriage, however, one which is faster, much cheaper and less stressful, and which results in solutions that are more agreeable to divorcing couples – divorce mediation. Meditation enables couples to settle all divorce-related issues, including distribution of assets and liabilities, child custody and visitation rights, child support and alimony, in an amicable way. A mediator, who acts as a go-between the couple and their lawyers, offers suggestions and helps the couple reach a settlement quickly.

The process of mediation does not require the couple to be represented by lawyers. Through a third party called the mediator, this private and confidential process can proceed, giving the couple significant freedom in settling all the relevant issues. Other benefits of the mediation process include:

cost – while a divorce case may take the court weeks or months to settle, mediation may take only hours.

confidentiality – in mediation, only the couple and the mediator know what transpired during the process. The divorcing couple’s lives and what they agree on never become part of the public record.

compliance – since the solutions arrived at are products of mutual consent, compliance to these agreements is more likely.

Though mediation is steadily becoming a popular option, it is not perfect for all couples, particularly those in contentious relationships who cannot meet an acceptable middle ground. To determine whether mediation is the right option for your divorce settlement, it is best to consult with a qualified divorce attorney about your situation and learn more about the differences between divorce processes.

Child support is one of the most difficult issues divorcing parents need to settle. It refers to the amount of financial assistance the non-custodial parent, also known as the obligor, ought to pay to the obligee, that is, the custodial parent, the guardian, the caregiver or, in the absence of all these, the state – for the support of the child.

Parents are legally obligated to support their biological children after divorce. This legal responsibility is recognized worldwide, especially by the nations which are members of the UN. In the US, this parental obligation is further enforced by the Child Support Enforcement Act of 1984, which also enumerates the factors that ought to be considered when resolving child support issues.

The financial support is supposed to help cover the basic needs of the child, such as food, shelter, clothing, education and health care; it is usually paid only until the child’s 18th birthday, or until they finish high school. Some of the factors considered in resolving the issue include the present income of the parents (income includes wages, commissions, dividends, workers’ compensation benefits, and unemployment benefits, among other things), the age and needs of the child, the parent’s capacity to contribute to child support, and the cost of the child’s needs.

Besides the monthly or periodic payments by the obligor, he or she may also be asked by the court to contribute to the child’s future financial activities and needs, such as vacation, camp, dental and medical care, and school expenses. There is no specific federal ruling, though, regarding the necessity of support for children who have already reached the age of 18 but still want to pursue higher education; nor is there a final court ruling regarding the continuity of the payment of support upon the death of the obligor or non-custodial parent.

The factors considered and the rules governing child support vary from state to state. Consult with an experienced child support lawyer to learn more about this issue.

The process of ending a marriage and settling all related issues legally is often emotional and fairly complex, which can make some couples have second thoughts about ending a marriage which is otherwise unsustainably. Nevertheless, couples who wish to end their marriage do not necessarily have to undergo a traumatic, costly, time-intensive process. In fact, there are a number of ways in which a divorce can be pursued simply and effectively, as long as both parties are willing to work together.

While it is true that some divorce cases can only be settled in the court, it is also true that divorce through mediation can help husbands and wives settle their divorce amicably, sparing them time in court and costly legal fees. Mediated divorce, which is quickly becoming a more popular way of reaching a divorce settlement, allows couples to decide on their own how they wish to separate and to draft their own agreement. This type of settlement also helps to diminish the pressure connected to divorce, allowing individuals to stay in control of the whole process.

Meditation is aimed at helping couples find the most ideal solutions to all divorce-related issues. With their respective lawyers (hiring a lawyer is optional, though highly recommended) they discuss things before a mediator until they come to terms that are most agreeable to both of them. Though a mediator may offer his or her opinion at times, he or she cannot force any agreement on the spouses.

Some of the reasons why this alternative to more traditional methods of divorce is more preferable include: it greatly reduces time and money spent; it allows couples to see the most agreeable solutions themselves; it promotes confidentiality, free from courtroom spectators and reporters; it allows the couples to communicate freely and effectively; and, most of all, it puts the couple in total control of the process and the outcome.

Alimony or spousal support is one spouse’s lawful obligation to give monetary support to his or her former partner after separation or divorce. In the past, spousal support typically consisted of the husband paying his former wife. Modern practice, however, typically has a more gender-neutral viewpoint, instead requiring any spouse with significantly more financial assets to provide support to the other spouse.

Rules regarding this important divorce-related issue and the factors that help determine how much support ought to be given and who ought to receive it vary from state to state, so if you are interested in pursuing a divorce in North Carolina, you should contact a Raleigh divorce attorney to better understand how the law will apply to you specifically.

Alimony usually falls under four different types:

Temporary – this is otherwise known as “pending the suit,” from the Latin pendente lite; it is given when spouses decide to separate even before they get divorced.

Rehabilitative – the spouse who earns less is the recipient of the support, but only until he or she acquires work and becomes self-sufficient.

Permanent – so long as the supporting spouse is alive or the beneficiary has not remarried or died, the financial support to the one earning less is given continuously.

Reimbursement – this support takes the form of repayment to a spouse for the expenses, such as education, he or she has made during marriage.

Some of the factors affecting decisions on alimony cases are: duration of the marriage; age of the spouses when the divorce began; income of the spouses and their financial prospects in the future; health of the divorcing parties; and fault in marital breakdown.

More than 10 years of civil union or marriage usually merits permanent alimony. However, the amount of this alimony can vary significantly, and even those who receive permanent alimony may no longer be able to support themselves at the standard of living to which they may have become accustomed in their marriage.